Romp, expedition, adventure, odyssey, quest. Along the way, maybe I’ll find better words to describe my life. My days are filled with the work of raising children, serving a retired canine racing queen, trying to run when my body allows it, hugging my husband, choosing between board games, books, and sleep, and never being truly bored.
A couple of months ago, I shared how to make Ham and Carrot Bowl. This is a slightly more complicated version because a knife is needed. Other than exchanging the ham for a package of smoked brats (doesn’t have to be brats, can be kielbasa or smoked sausage as well), the recipe remains the same. I really do believe that knowing how to cook is essential to feeling independent and being independent, but cooking needs to be what you need it to be. It’s like exercise: it’s important to life, but you probably won’t keep up with it if you hate the type of exercise you’re doing. I utilize shortcuts and instant foods all the time. It is not being lazy or cheating, and it really bothers me when people talk about alternative routes to the same end result as if they were a bad thing. Suggesting that using a trick or convenience method is somehow not “real cooking” or less legitimate is degrading and insulting. It also discourages people from learning to cook in the ways that work for them. I make pancakes from a box. My husband makes pancakes from a recipe. Either way, pancakes end up on the table and our children devour them. Everyone is fed and neither of us wants to scream, because we cook in the ways that work for us without shame. Cooking is cooking and we should be proud of it! In the photos below, you’ll see that my son made this dish. I carefully chose the ingredients, just like with the Ham and Carrot Bowl, to be exact so that frustration with measuring and spilling wouldn’t leave him feeling defeated. Other than giving verbal instructions and some physical redirection for safer knife skills with his hands, I took the photos and nothing else. Other than using a knife, which isn’t absolutely necessary, this is one of the most accessible recipes I know and also one of the most comforting. Add the rice to the rice cooker bowl.Then add the carrots. Slice the brats how you like. If you don’t want to slice, feel free to dump them in whole. They will cook this way and can be broken up later, if you want. It’s ok to pick one up with a fork and eat it triumphantly!Pour in the broth.Add a little olive oil, if you’d like, to soften the rice and help it come loose from the sides of the rice cooker after cooking. Sometimes, we don’t. The crunchier rice on the sides of the pot can be quite yummy.There were no leftovers. 🙂
Beka Tucker 